The present invention relates to an absorbent padding and, more particularly, to an absorbent padding suitable for use as an absorbent undergarment in diapers for incontinence, diapers for infants, training pants for infants or menstruation pads having front and rear bodies connected to each other along their transversely opposite side edges.
Conventional pants type absorbent undergarments generally have a liquid-absorbent core primarily made of fluffy pulp disposed between a top sheet and a back sheet. One version of conventional absorbent undergarments includes a liquid-absorbent core having transversely alternating troughs and crests, each extending longitudinally along the liquid-absorbent core. Such troughs and crests assure that liquid excretions flow diffusibly longitudinally along the core and thereby avoid sideways leakage of liquid excretion that might occur if liquid excretion diffusibly flows transversely along the core.
Prior art troughs and crests are formed by embossing the liquid-absorbent core, which, in turn, causes the garment to become more rigid and lose desirable pliability. The rigidity caused by the embossing treatment leads to discomfort of the wearer.
In addition, the top sheet (the inner sheet closest to the wearer's body) covering a top surface of the liquid absorbent core remains substantially flat despite the corrugation of the liquid-absorbent core. As a result of the top sheet of the core assembly lacking the desirable corrugated configuration, liquid fecal material not passing through the top sheet can diffusibly flow sideways and cause undesirable leakage.
It is also well known to wrinkle or crease the top sheet of conventional absorbent undergarments so that the top sheet itself may be corrugated and to cover the liquid-absorbent core with this corrugated top sheet. While this known technique has been found to be effective to some degree in preventing liquid fetal material from diffusibly flowing sideways, the configuration formed by this technique has other disadvantages.
Chief among them is that the wrinkled or creased top sheet floats at its respective crests away from the top surface of the liquid-absorbent core. Consequently, the absorptive power for liquid excretion is significantly deteriorated because the top sheet is out of contact with the liquid-absorbent core.